RP:As The Dust Settles
Part of the What You Leave Behind Arc
Summary: Pilar comes to check on the Landon's after the S.S. Turnt sinks and she finds Lionel on Cenril's shores among the dead. They discuss the events of that night and what it might mean for the future. Before Pilar leaves, the two women exchange quiet words of their love for one another. Just in case it's the last time they might met before the next disaster.
The Landon Estate
Alvina and Hudson came back to Cenril the next morning. After the SS Turnt sinking, Hudson had scrambled their family across the sea to Rynvale, where Sarge had sent the lifeboats with Alvina and E.L. They’d stayed the night with some friend of E.L.’s that Hudson was supposed to remember, trying to sleep in their bloody clothes with little success. When they came back, the house hasn’t been damaged though reports of looting had circulated through the poorer neighborhoods. Houses and shops alike torn to shreds by mobs fearing the firey end of Lithrydel as promised by Kahran. So when Alvina stops at the most recent corpse, to read rites and help guide the young woman’s soul to a better place, she’s surprised to see a familiar face in the distance. Surprised, but not. Pilar had a beautiful habit of finding her when she needed her most. The bard offers the woman a weak smile.
Pilar had been in Cenril since daybreak. She'd spent a few hours with the shellshocked Lionel, only to leave him in the care of a good Samaritan so she could check on the Landon house. She didn't break in, but she had searched the perimeter and peeked in the windows. With no visible damage, she'd knocked. No one had answered, and so she waited by the door, her faithful mount Emielle by her side. Soon, she caught sight of the returning family, and hurried to greet them. “Oh thank the gods! Is anyone hurt, does anyone need help?”
Hudson took the girl’s inside, giving Pilar a tired nod. They were still dressed in their bloodied clothes from the cruise. Alvina stops to hug Pilar. She doesn’t even reply, just throws her arms around the vampress and holds her tightly. A sigh of relief flutters off her lips, along with her name. “Pilar,” Her tone is breathy and tired. “I’m so glad you’re okay…”
Pilar held Alvina, rubbing her back. “I'm glad you're all okay, too. When I saw the beach, I...” She swallowed. There were so many corpses. She squeezed Alvina tighter. “Gods above, it's so awful.”
Alvina knew. Her clothes were still stained by lives she couldn’t save. She’d frozen in the battle, unable to do anything while others fought. She’d never forgive herself. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips against the crown of Pilar’s hair. “A true nightmare in the flesh…” She agreed, “But we have to take strength where we can. In the fact that we’ve survived…” Even that felt like a hollow victory, with the thousands that had died in the mayoral election celebration. The bard may never stop seeing the twisted mask of pain steal Fitz’s life away from him.
All Pilar could think of was the survivor's guilt that had plagued her since the deaths of her family. Would Alvina and the others suffer the same? “If you... if you, or the girls, or Hudson ever need to talk, I'm here to listen. Come, let's go inside. Why don't I make you all a nice, warm, hearty breakfast while you change into some comfy, cozy pajamas?”
Alvina broke their embrace to step back and look at Pilar. Did she look older, somehow, since last they’d met? It tugs a small smile to the left corner of her mouth. “Hudson and the girl’s lie down for a bit I think. I don’t think we can eat much, just yet, but you’re welcome to come in. I’ll spike some hot chocolates and we can bundle under blankets like we did when you stayed the night with me in Frostmaw.” She tries to encourage her smile but it falls, to heavy to support it’s own weight. “Why don’t you tell me something going on with you hmm? Something good? Krice..” She careful to whisper the name, once they are in the house, “Told me that Chartsend had recovered from the plague. That’s marvelous news.”
Pilar nodded and followed Alvina inside. As they settled in, she said, “Yes. Lady Leone and a number of other clerics banished it from Chartsend.” Pilar was about to ask about Cenril, but thought better of it. Then, it occurred to her that Alvina... didn't look pregnant anymore. And there was no mention of a new baby. Something had happened, but again, Pilar thought better of asking. No more talk of pain. “Since she was cured, Yozenra and I... We're... kind of a couple, now.” Pilar looked at the marshmallows in her drink, face flushed slightly.
Alvina sets her own cup down on the counter and grins weakly. It’s nice to have good news, but it doesn’t lift her heavy heart on it’s own. In time, she’d be able to appreciate the brilliance of the news. For now, she’d encourage more talk of good things to ignore the bad. “Lady Leone is quite a miracle worker.” She agreed, envious and grateful for the priestess and her powers. Her loyalty. Her strength. “Tell me how it happened.” She begged of the woman, hands wrapped around her mug.
“Well... I wasn't there, myself. All that holy power was too much to bear. But from what I heard, all the clerics gathered the sick into a circle, then began to channel their power. The curse was powerful, but it was eventually pulled from the bodies of the sick and they banished it from Chartsend. I don't know what became of that evil energy, but I can only hope it's gone for good.” Unlikely.
Alvina nods, she’d heard a bit about that. “Hudson attended the summit, and said the same thing. People were talking about how it wasn’t necessary solved yet. I hope it resolves quickly though.” Just another thing to worry about; curses from the gods, Kahran...What a lovely mess their lives had become. “I meant about Yozenra?” She offers a thin smile that might have encouraged a chuckle, in lighter circumstances.
"Heh. I guess the possibility of losing her made me realize how much she meant to me. And I guess facing death made her realize the same." Pilar sipped her cocoa, looking to Alvina. "I adore her, really."
Alvina nodded into her cocoa. Let the steam rise and lift her blood matted hair. Her smile is pulled back, into an almost frown. “You just hold onto her.” She stutters, setting her cup down to wipe at her face with her bare, fleshed wrist. “You love her like every moment is the last one you’ll have together or...you’ll regret it forever.” Clearly, it was something on her own mind in the aftermath of her personal life and the SS Turnt’s destruction.
Pilar was still in the dark about Alvina's personal drama, but the loss of life from the previous night would weigh on anyone's mind. Make them think of their loved ones. Pilar reached out and put her hand on Alvina's shoulder. "I plan to. Alvina... Are you okay? Well, I mean, obviously not after what happened, but... Do you need anything?"
Alvina shook her head, muttered under her breath. “Another chance.” She said, as if it made perfect sense to anyone who heard it. “Forgive me.” She tries to piece the smile back together, but it’s fractured and threadbare. “I’m sorry you have to come and see this…I’m so glad you didn’t come...You could have gotten hurt.” The bard would have blamed herself, since she’d sent the invitation to Pilar in the first place. “Even Lionel couldn’t…” She started but faltered, coughing roughly into her fleshed palm.
Pilar put her cup down and embraced Alvina, frowning as the bard coughed. "That doesn't sound good. I hope you didn't catch something."
Alvina waves off her concern. "I'm just tired." She promises. "Don't worry." It's hard to complain when you know so many people out there have it worse than she did. Loved one's had died, and she still had her family with her. Who was she to be upset? "Did you come straight here when you heard the news? How did you get out this way?"
"My friend Daermon was at the party. We share a mental bond, and as I slept, I had visions of what was happening. As soon as I woke, I hopped on Emielle--you saw her outside--and came here. I... I wish I'd been here, only so I could have helped, but at the same time... I'm glad I wasn't." It was a strange feeling. Survivor's guilt. She could have been there, but she was spared.
Alvina shakes her head quickly. "I'm glad you weren't. Hands down. There was nothing anyone could do. I mean, if even Lionel froze? That's any indication of how badly it went. I've never known anything to keep him from action of some sort." Blood and gore still stains her clothes, even though she'd slept in them. "We didn't know if it would follow to Rynvale. No where really feels safe now." Alvina understood survivor's guilt and understood how helpless Pilar must feel in the wake of all she'd seen through Daermon. "Everyone had visions, or that's what people are saying. Of their loved one's burning to death. Nightmares, that felt -so real-....I can't..." She shakes her head again, trying not to break down. "Thank you for coming to check on us, really. The girls weren't there and slept through most of the travel so...I'm thankful for that at least."
Pilar wrapped her arm around Alvina's shoulders. "I just saw Lionel. He's... He's traumatized. I found him staring at the sea, practically frozen. He blames himself for what happened." Pilar was reminded of how she'd been after her family's slaughter. It was almost exactly the same. "I'm thankful, too. If something had happened to any of you..." She trailed off, squeezing Alvina. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to send word."
Alvina stiffens reflexively when Pilar mentions Lionel. She's plagued with the urge to follow Pilar back to where she'd left him, if she had left him on the beach at all but... Her family. In the other room, she hears Hudson moving around. The bard blinks her eyes clear. "Of course he does..." She says without surprise. "Kahran. He said he was responsible for bringing ruin to Lionel's home land. Catal." Maybe Lionel had told Pilar, maybe not. "Please take care of him." She begs of the vampiress. "That's all I could ask of you. Hudson's been running himself ragged to take care of us. To get us to Rynvale, to bring our daughters back too. So please take care of yourself and stay out of this mess of you can." A contradictory request. Take care of Lionel. Avoid the conflict. He was still her friend, in some capacity. No matter how they shut their past away. Alvina never had the strength to pick and choose who she cared about. It was generally everyone and everything. Pilar seemed much the same. Always trying to save people precious to her, or strangers even!
Pilar frowned. "Lionel's home...?" That poor man. She would have to find him again soon. She nodded. "I'll... I'll do my best." There was no way she could avoid this conflict and take care of Lionel. Hell, even without him, she'd never stay out. She had people to protect. Yozenra. Alvina. Lionel, and so many others.
Alvina never fails to appreciate Pilar's spirit. Her will to help, aid even with the risk of personal injury. For her friends and loved ones. It was a trait Alvina herself tripped into if she wasn't careful. She always considered her family but in her lonelier times, she'd give her life in a heartbeat to save anyone. Friend or stranger. More readily for those she believed in. Her mantra had been 'If I can make a difference to one person, my life would have been worth it'. It still burned there, but she had to prioritize her daughters. Her face remains downtrodden. She wondered where he'd gone. How hard it must have been to leave so much behind. She thinks of his home here, in Frostmaw, and hopes it offers some comfort in the face of this sudden reminder and threat of another upheaval. This time, for all of them. Or, all of them that survived the onslaught. Alvina presses her lips against the crown of Pilar's head before breaking their embrace. She offers a sad, apologetic smile. "Please call me if there's anything I can do. Truly, don't hesitate, okay? I'm going to see if I can get any sleep..." She plucks her blood stained dress off her chest, discouraged. "Maybe a bath if it isn't too much to ask." She'd gotten away with her life. How could she even think about a bath at a time like this? It was a time to be reminded of the things that were precious, that it's easy to take for granted. "I love you, Pilar. Please be safe. We'll see each other soon, okay?" A promise that would never intentionally be broken.
"I love you, too, Alvina," Pilar said. "You take care of yourself and the girls." Pilar rose, gave Alvina's shoulder a squeeze, then headed out. She had to get home, tell Yozenra what had happened, and prepare for the worst.